Editorial: It’s up to local Scout leaders, programs to instill West Texas values

Midland Reporter-Telegram

Published 4:55 am, Monday, June 17, 2013

The Boy Scouts of America have created a firestorm over its recent decision to allow openly gay Scouts into its organization. It remains to be seen where the future of the Scouting program will end up.

Until now, the BSA has had some sort of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding homosexual Scouts, reminiscent of what the U.S. military employed under the Carter and Bush administrations.

While allowing homosexual Scouts, BSA still prohibits participation by openly homosexual adults. It is a stance that has drawn criticism from just about every front.

We’ve seen two reactions to the new BSA policy and these decisions carry with them different impacts.

First, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution last week expressing its opposition to and disappointment in the BSA’s new policy allowing gay Scouts.

However, the resolution does not recommend that Southern Baptists drop ties with the BSA. Instead, it expressed support for those churches and families that decide to do so. It also encourages churches and families who choose to remain with the BSA to work toward reversing the new policy.

Many expected the SBC to come forth with a stronger stance against BSA, and it remains unclear how many Scout troops will be lost under the large umbrella of the SBC churches, which sponsor hundreds of troops.

Meanwhile, Caterpillar Inc. announced it will no longer give money to the BSA because the company believes the BSA’s policy barring homosexual adults from serving as Scout leaders is

discriminatory.

Other companies such as United Parcel Service and Intel Corp.stopped supporting the Scouts well before the recent decision.

It appears the BSA is having a hard time finding full support on either side of the issue, and that’s the rub.

We have long been a huge supporter of the BSA and its goals and aspirations as an organization. Its Eagle Scout program is one of the finest growth programs for boys in the entire nation.

But we think the BSA decision has done irreparable damage to the organization. We aren’t sure yet how much damage has been done, but we do expect a lessened impact of the BSA nationally. Locally, we hope West Texas values are what drives our Boy Scout leaders, and our community molds the type of programs that have produced the next generation of leaders.